insurance is still available for 2 million people, and that lays the groundwork then for additional deficit reduction and economic growth steps we can take in the new year, but let's not miss this deadline. that's the bare minimum we should be able to get done. it shouldn't be that heart since democrats and republicans both say they don't want to see taxes go up on middle-class families. i just have to repeat. outside of washington, nobody understands how it is that this seems to be a repeat pattern over and over again. ordinary folks, they do their jobs. they meet deadlines, they sit down and they are discuss things, and then things happen. the notion that our elected leadership can't do the same thing is mind-boggling to them. it needs to stop. so i'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. nobody will get 100% of what they want, but let's make sure middle-class families and the american economy, in fact the world economy, aren't adversely impacted. thank you very much, everybody. >>> right now at 6:00, president obama just wrapped up a news conference in which he said he i